Essential Oils 101

…and a recipe for Rosemary and Lavender Calming Spray!

I want to begin this post by saying I am NO EXPERT on Essential Oils. Far from it actually. My Mom, and my sisters and nieces could all give you much more information than me on this subject. I am just getting acquainted with all the wonderful and amazing applications for these oils that have been being used to centuries.

But, since it seems like a large number of the things I post mention the use of “essential oils” in them, I thought I would at least try to give a BASIC outline of what they are and how they work for those who are unfamiliar with them (like I was up until a few months ago!) For those of you who ARE experts out there…I hope you will humor me in my attempt and feel free to add your comments! The comments section is such a great way to share our combined knowledge.

“One Good Thing” that inspired this post today is an experience we had at our house last week. The hubster arrived home from work on Thursday night looking like “something the cat dragged in”. Poor guy…he’d been hit with the flu bug….HARD! Fever, aches, chills, the whole nine yards. Two of my sisters happened to be visiting and both know quite a bit about the use of essential oils. They quickly came up with what oils might help alleviate his symptoms. Since we don’t own a diffuser (yet!) the other option was to take the oils and rub them directly onto your feet…which he did. He went to bed early and the next morning felt completely better! No nausea, no fever, no aches, no chills. Just a little bit of a cough. He actually headed off to work! I couldn’t believe it!

This is just ONE of a dozens of “stories” I could tell you that have occurred in my family and extended family. We are definitely becoming firm believers in the benefits of essential oils.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are scented oils derived from the leaves, bark, seeds or fruit of plants. Plants have these scents for luring pollinators and warding off predators. Some plants, like the tea tree, produce their aroma as an antifungal for disease prevention.

Using essential oils to treat illnesses and conditions, can be traced back thousands of years. The recent trend towards more holistic approaches to wellness have led to the “rediscovery” of essential oil health applications.

Uses of Essential Oils

Essential oils are used in a wide range of emotional and physical applications.
They are usually administered by diffusing in the air, applying to the skin, or taking internally as dietary supplements.

Aromatic Uses

Certain essential oils, when diffused in the air, can be very stimulating while others can be calming and soothing. Diffusing essential oils can also purify air of unwanted odors and some airborne pathogens. Essential oils can also be used as cleansing and purifying additives to laundry and surface cleaners throughout the home.

Topical Uses

Essential oils are easily absorbed by the skin and can be safely applied topically. Applying oils can have immediate benefit to the area of application. They have restorative and calming properties. They are also natural disinfectants.

Internal Uses

Many essential oils can also be used as dietary supplements supporting a variety of healthy conditions, but some oils should not be taken internally. Do not use any essential oil product internally that does not have the appropriate dietary supplement facts on its label.

(In addition, essential oils should not be used in the eyes, inside the ear canal, or in open wounds. Consult your physician before using essential oils if you are pregnant or under a doctor’s care.)

Where Can You Get Essential Oils?

Because of the growing popularity of these oils, they can be found in many stores and all over the internet. But you want to make sure you are getting quality oils... the two most important qualities are purity and potency. It needs to be absolutely pure and it needs to be potent.

Our family has recently discovered Spark Naturals, a relatively new company who is quickly building a reputation as having some of the best quality essential oils out there. All of their oils are Certified Pure PharmaGrade which means they guarantee all of their essential oil extracts are 100% pure and meet high standards for both purity and material composition.

And finally….in honor of essential oils…I want to share a recipe I found from Frugally Sustainable that I think is BRILLIANT!

Rosemary and Lavender Calming Spray!

Great for dealing with rambunctious children or just spraying whenever tensions rise. According to Andrea, “The results are literally amazing! The children, and I, immediately receive a sense of calm.”

I am going to mix up a batch as soon as I find a mister bottle to put it in! (Or maybe I’ll just douse my kids and myself with it!) :-)

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a 2 ounce mister/spray bottle. Spray whenever necessary for calming effect. Shelf stable, no need to refrigerate, and will last indefinitely.

I hope that some of this has been helpful to someone. I know I was completely CLUELESS about essential oils up until about 6 months ago (and to be honest, fairly skeptical). But it doesn’t take too many times being helped out by them and you start becoming a believer.

Have a question about essential oils? Curious about what brand of essential oils I prefer? Find the answers in my Essential Oils FAQ!

Comments

Jill’s…love your sight. I’m new to EO’s but am getting excited about their uses and trying to build my inventory.
Your recipe for calming spray (Rosemary and Lavender ) …how would I use that in a diffuser ? The kind you plug in, not a reed one. I haven’t purchased one of those either . Do you have one that you prefer? I saw the 2 types that Sparksnaturals sells. Are they all sort of the same? I would like to make a good investment . Would love your feedback.

hi. as i have recently started to make my own natural skin & body care products i’ve been doing a lot of research on essential oils and there seems to be quite a bit of suspect marketing about them. you said: “All of their oils are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®”. the thing is there is no US gov’t body or industry standard grading system that certifies essential oils. that term is just a marketing gimmick. additionally, “therapeutic grade” is another misleading term which i was surprised to find out because so many companies use that term. again, there is no gov’t or industry standard for “therapeutic grade”. personally, when companies make dubious claims i am less inclined to buy their products. you can read more about this on aromaweb therapeutic grade essential oils is a misleading claim

Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Steam distillation is often used. Other processes include expression or solvent extraction. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and other products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding scents to incense and household cleaning products.”^